From a very young age, we say things like, “I can do it myself.” As we age we begin to lose some of our independence. Your independence matters and senior independence matters, too. If you are anything like me, the idea of losing your independence is scary. I remember the feeling I had on my […]
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm. It is something that is affecting every one of us daily. There are conversations about what to do, when to do it, and how we should go about it. The problem with all these questions is the absence of clear answers. While pandemics are not new, […]
Opportunity for ALL guides what we do each day. Hanging in my office is the painting you see above. It was painted by Brian Hart and depicts Lewis and Clark looking at the unknown that lied ahead. When we experience things for the first time, there is both excitement and fear. When our clients find […]
How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m too old to _______,” or “I’m too young to ________?” This is common language many of use will use, but it’s simply not true. In the disability services industry, we frequently see self-limiting language used by those we serve. They begin to limit what is possible […]
Throughout undergrad, internship was something I knew I had to do before I could finish my degree and take the certification exam, but for the first year or two of school, I didn’t know much about it. I went to every presentation or talk about internship that I could. However, it […]
Today, Star Center is celebrating 30 years of being dedicated to helping any person, with any disability, to realize their potential! It all started when Margaret and Chuck Doumitt’s children began losing their eyesight and they began the search for solutions and resources. Their search identified assistive technology as the only resource available that would […]
I have only been working at STAR Center as a music therapist for 7 months now. Two months into my new job, I had the opportunity to start and grow a contract at our county juvenile detention center. When I found out that I was going to be working at this facility, I automatically started […]
When I started my internship at the STAR Center just ten weeks ago, I had no idea how much I would learn in such a short amount of time! While there are many lessons I could share, here are just a handful of things I have taken with me over the past ten weeks. 1.All […]
I cannot believe that May is already here, but with May comes National Mental Health Awareness Month. As one of the four music therapists here on staff, I have the opportunity to work with individuals, both adults and adolescents, recovering from substance abuse. Today I am going to share with you an intervention that some […]
Music is everywhere. It is all around us and it is an integral part of who we are. In the EDGE program at Union University, music is a part of the curriculum. Each first-year EDGE student participates in music therapy as a means of making social connections, addressing emotional concerns, and making progress toward their […]